The hunger in my heart
by bookworm1119
Summary: an unexpected death causes a blow in katniss' life
1. Chapter 1

It's a misty night .I see Prim sleeping softly at last. Today is the day of her very first reaping. I got up constantly, to aid her nightmares. Again and again I sang the same song. It always seemed to chase away her fear. Suddenly there's a shuffle of hard leather and there's a knock at the door. Careful not to wake Prim, I get up and pull on my Father's hunting jacket. He was shot by the Capitol many years ago. I open the door and standing there, almost contently, is Gale Hawthorne. He is the best tradesmen at the hob (our local black market), hunter and friend I've ever known.

"You're up early." I smile and follow him out the door and into the deserted street. Everyone is dreaming, awaiting the horrors of the hunger games.

These were established after the rebellious Dark Days. These were the times when all the districts looked over the Capitol's work toll and rebelled. This ended in the attack and elimination of district thirteen. We loath them but have no power or weapons without 13.

As we get to the electric fence, we find our hole and climb through. It's never on so it's easy to hunt. Suddenly, I notice something. As Gale prepares to go under, I see a spark of blue light erupt from the wire. Then two more. The wire, unspeakably is on.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gale!" I shriek. But it's too late . Gale is under and dead before I can even gasp. I run to and drag him out from the fence and press my ear to his chest and listen for his heart. But I don't find it.

I have always thought Gale as a friend but now I've found that I love every single bit of him.

I love the way his dark longish hair falls like a curtain around his handsome face when he hunts. I love the way his lips form the words so gently. I love the way his eyelid flickers when he sees a deer or a turkey or something worth a lot to us. I love how his eyes sparkle. I love it all. But now I will never see it again.

I'm crying now, as I run to the Hawthornes' house.

I meet Hazel Hawthorne in the small kitchen cooking a bit of meat. It seems so small.

"Gale,the fence,shocked." I pant through sobs.

I take to the fence where Gale is lying, unconscious. At least I hope he is. Hazel drops to the ground and starts beating his chest. Gale suddenly coughs and sits up. Suddenly he's up and walking towards the village.

"Thank god." I murmur.

When I get home, I find a warm bath waiting for me. I lie there bathing until it goes cold. When I back our tiny bedroom,there's a blue silk dress lying on my bed. I pull on the soft material. Mother ties up my hair in a braid around my hair. Then a bell chimes somewhere.

Prim starts hyperventilating.

"It's me it's me it's me..." she pants.

I turn to her and crouch down to her height.

"It wont be. First-timers are barely ever picked,you know that. And anyway everyone likes you.


	3. Chapter 3

"It wont be. First-timers are barely ever picked,you know that. And anyway everyone likes you. If your picked I'm sure someone will volunteer. If they don't, I will." I promise.

We walk to the justice building and I let them prick my finger, then Prim's.

"Okay. Go stand with the little kids. I'll come and find you when its over." I say.

She goes over to her her friends and I go over to the girls side. I sit beside Magde . I see Gale mime being shocked. He laughs silently. Suddenly a voice booms over the speakers brought in temporally for the Hunger Games. Mayor Undersee tells us of the history of Panem. I don't listen. I know it off by heart already. When he's done the sickly image of Effie Trinket waltz onto the stage with the (drunk) haymitch. He was once a victor so he is now a mentor to the tributes. He plunks down on a seat. He falls of a few minutes later. I don't see whether he gets up.

"Happy Hunger Games!And may the odds be ever in your favour." She says in her sweet voice.

She wearing a bright pink dress with a metallic effect. She's painted white, so she clashes with her neon pink lipstick and her sparkly pink eye-shadow. And to top it all of, a bright pink curly wig.

"Ladies first!" she calls with a grin. She starts spinning the pink ball full of little envelopes, each with all of our names on. As it stops,her hand darts in and pulls out an envelope. She takes her time. I turn and see prim hyperventilating again. One of her friends is stroking her hair while another whispers to her. The rest look quite bored.

"Magde Undersee!" cries Effie.

I hear Magde gasp. She stands up and goes to sit with her father.

"Now for the gentleman!" Effie cries.

Before I can stop myself, I'm crying out for tribute.

"I volunteer for tribute" I cry running towards the stage. I stop when I reach it.

"Oh that's just lovely but I believe the regulation is we get our male tribute before volunteering for tribute." She says,fiddling with the envelope in her hand.

"The male tribute for District 12 is... Gale Hawthorne."

I gasp from the stage. Gale doesn't even seem affected by it. He walks up almost calmly. He joins me by the stage. I look at him, shocked.

"How many times did you put your name in?" I hiss as Effie yells

"District 12 ,your tributes!" There's no applause.

"More than you." He smiles as were lead into the justice building.

The peacekeepers lead us into a room were Hazel Hawthorne is waiting with Mother and Prim.

"We'll leave you to say your goodbyes." Says one of the peacekeepers.

They leave.

"You didn't have to do the tesserae that many times." she sighs.

"Neither did you darling .But I do know one thing. One of you will come out of there a victor. Our tributes are the two best hunters in 12." says mother.

"I love you Katniss I bet you'll win too. No offence,Gale." adds Prim.

"None taken. I'm willing to bet too." replies Gale.

"We best go. I love you."Says Mother.

They leave. Then Magde and her father come in.

"Thank you saved my daughter. May the odds truly ever be in your favour." he says.

"Here,take this. Your gonna need it." says Magde handing me a badge. It's a mocking-jay,sitting on an arrow enclosed in a circle.

"Thanks." I say, pinning the badge onto my dress there and then. They leave. Then one last visitor comes in. It's someone I never thought I'd see before the Games. It's Peeta Mellark.


	4. Chapter 4

Gale's the first to speak.

"What are you doing here?"he says rudely.

"For Katniss." Peeta voice is thick, like he might start crying any minute. I walk to the window and look out into the town I worked so hard to fed me.

It happened one day,before I met Gale in the woods before Father died.I went from door to door, trying to sell strawberries me,prim and Father had picked. I went round house by house until I reached the bakery.I had never set foot in it before because we were to poor for the luxury of freshly baked bread or beautifully decorated cakes. I knocked on the door.A lady answered. She was holding a long walking stick.

Before I could say any thing,she raised her stick and beat me.

"Be off with you,you scrawny little beggar!" she yelled. I dropped all of my strawberries. I went and sat in a tree and cried. My face hurt and I was cold and wet and I had no money to take back. I heard a yell of pain from the bakery and a boy walked out with a bruise across his cheek. He was holding a loaf of burnt bead. He threw it up to ever since then Peeta Mellark had been the Boy With The Bread.

Our family had been on the verge of death. But because of Peeta I'm here.

"What do you want?"I ask,still at the window.

"To give you this-"he starts but he never got to finish because a pair of Peacekeepers came in with Effie and Haymitch.

"Time to gooo." she says brightly.

The peacekeepers drag Peeta drops an envelope. As we walk out I pick it up and show it to Peeta. He relaxes and goes with the walk onto the train that's parked behind the justice building. As we get on I read it.


End file.
